The former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Stanbic bank Ghana, Pishigu Lana Alhassan Andani has said that despite the world moving into a digital and an ICT age, Northern Region is still grappling with basic education.
According to him, most of the manual things around the world is currently being automated, whiles this part of our country is still struggling with the basics of learning.
This, he noted is a very difficult problem because a very large population will be left behind with absolutely no skills to survive in a new era that’s only about 15 years away from now.
He described current situation as very worrying and urged leaders in high authorities including traditional rulers, development agents particularly the Ghana education service (GES) turn their attention to the problem.
Chief Andani praised Madam Anita Dent, Executive Director of Teach to Teach, a United Kingdom-based organization for her tenacity after her visit to Ghana and was overwhelm by lack of basic education at rural areas.
The chief said he first met Madam Dent in London galvanized support for the Community Volunteer Teacher program even at the time there was global cut of aids to.
He described the current gap in the educational sector in northern Ghana as not normal and great dis-service to the future generation and urged opinion and community leaders to mobilized local support for the volunteers.
The worried chief who has been working in the bank since 1985 retired on 30th of November, 2020 warned that the region was heading for a deep tragedy if leaders do not take the responsibility into their own hands.
The celebrated bankerwas speaking at the School for Life (S4L) graduation ceremony of 40 volunteer teachers who were trained to support teaching and learning process in Tolon and Mion districts of the Northern Region.
Chief Alhassan Andani whiles congratulating the graduates lauded the school for life and its United Kingdom partners Teach2Teach initiative and added that the Community Volunteer Teachers (CVTs) program had improved the learning outcomes of the pupils in his community.
Chief Andani who until his retirement as Stanbic Bank CEO was the president of Ghana Association of Bankers assured that the association will continue to provide financial support to motivate the volunteers.
The association, he disclosed, committed a three-year Ghc 100,000 support which begun 2019 and will end in 2021.
As a child who walked bare footed to school in the northern region and have the opportunity to traverse this world and to contribute immensely to the development of my country and to the development of international companies who have used my skills, it is not impossible, it requires patience, support and genuine love to help children from the deprived communities, Chief Andani encouraged the volunteers.
Executive Director of Teach to Teach, a Uninted Kingdom-based organization, Anita Lowenstein Dent said the volunteers during the period were able to manage different segment of society including persons with disabilities, she was hopeful that the volunteers would be able exhibit their experience when they are offered employment opportunities by the Ghana Education Service.
The program built the capacity of young people become volunteer teachers to augment teacher-pupil ratios in the beneficiary districts.
Madam Benedetti Kafari who represented regional director education commended S4L for due diligence in selecting the volunteers.
The capacity built, she added was remarkable and expressed the service gratitude to S4l for complementing their effort in getting teachers to deprive schools.
The deprive schools Madama Benedetti admitted always have problems of lack of teachers because teachers refused posting to those areas explaining that being in deprive school was not a punishment as some teachers perceive it to be. She assured the volunteers of the service readiness to consider should job opportunities avail itself.
